LAS SALINAS IBIZA

Salt production is Ibiza's only true industry, and certainly the only one that is not connected to tourism. Ibizan salt is still highly prized, as it is very pure the process is very simple the salt pans are situated below sea level and at intervals the sluices are opened to allow water in and then the sluices are shut. For the next three months or so the sun does the hard work, evaporating the water to leave a crust of shimmering white salt on the pan's clay floor. The salt is then dug out of the pan and loaded on to ships for export.

The Carthaginians and other early trading nations needed salt to preserve their food during long sea voyages. Interestingly, one of the chief customers of Ibizan salt today is the Faroe Islands, where it is still used to salt fish: both the production process and the final uses are unchanged after 2,500 years. Today, Ibiza exports around 70,000 tons of salt annually.